2025 Hamilton mayoral election

2025 Hamilton mayoral election
11 October 2025
Turnout38,063
 
Candidate Tim Macindoe Sarah Thomson
Affiliation Independent Independent
Primary vote 16,895 9,240
Percentage 44.39% 24.28%
Final vote 18,275 10,183
Percentage 50.30% 28.03%
 
Candidate Maria Huata Rachel Karalus
Affiliation Independent Independent
Primary vote 3,718 3,049
Percentage 9.77% 8.01%
Final vote 4,329 3,546
Percentage 11.91% 9.76%
Mayor before election

Paula Southgate
Independent

Elected mayor

Tim Macindoe
Independent

The 2025 Hamilton mayoral election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Hamilton, New Zealand, as part of that year's city council election and nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Hamilton for the 2025–2028 term of the Hamilton City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.

The incumbent mayor Paula Southgate did not run for a second term.

Candidate names were provisionally released by the City Council on 1 August identifying 12 candidates.[1]

Tim Macindoe was elected mayor, receiving 18,275 votes to Sarah Thomson’s 10,183.[2]

Key dates

  • 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates opened
  • 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates closed at 12 pm
  • 9 September 2025: Voting documents were posted and voting opened
  • 11 October 2025: Voting closed at 12 pm and progress/preliminary results will be published
  • 16–19 October 2025: Final results will be declared.[3][4]

Background

Campaign

During the Hamilton mayoral election, Macindoe ran on a conservative platform of "cost reductions" including lower rates and "slimming down" the Hamilton City Council. His main competitor Sarah Thomson ran on a progressive platform of opposing cuts to Council services, improving housing and bus services, and keeping rates "affordable."[5]

List of candidates

Declared

Candidate[1][6] Photo Affiliation[a] Notes
Lily Carrington Animal Justice Party Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022[8][9]
Rudi Du Plooy None Previously stood as a joint New Conservatives & NewZeal (formerly known as ONE Party) candidate in the 2022 Election for the Hamilton West electorate. Also ran to be a councillor for the East general ward.
Jack Gielen The Peoples Voice Perennial candidate, having stood in every election for the Hamilton mayoralty since 2010.[8] Also ran to be a councillor for the East general ward.
Maria Huata None Incumbent councillor for the Kirikiriroa Maaori ward.[10][11] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
Rachel Karalus Independent Former head of the K'aute Pasifika charitable trust.[12][11] Also ran to be a councillor for the East general ward.
Tim Macindoe Independent Incumbent councillor for the East ward, and former MP for Hamilton West.[13][14][11] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
John McDonald None Also ran to be a councillor for the East general ward.[8]
Roger Stratford None Previously stood in the 2024 Hamilton East ward by-election[8]
Dave Taylor None Also ran to be a councillor for the West general ward.[8]
Guy Wayne Temoni-Syme None [8]
Sarah Thomson Independent Incumbent councillor for the West ward.[13][14][11] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
Roma Tupaea-Warren New Zealand Constitution Party Founder of the New Zealand Constitution Party[8]

Results

Tim Macindoe won the mayoral election, with Sarah Thomson coming second.[15][16][17]

2025 Hamilton mayoral election[18][19]
Affiliation Candidate Primary vote % Iteration vote[b] Final %
Independent Tim MacIndoe 16,895 44.39 #9 18,275 50.30
Independent Sarah Thomson 9,240 24.28 #9 10,183 28.03
Independent Maria Huata 3,718 9.77 #9 4,329 11.91
Independent Rachel Karalus 3,049 8.01 #9 3,546 9.76
Independent Rudi Du Plooy 1,427 3.75 #8 1,692
Independent Dave Taylor 818 2.15 #7 1,047
Independent John McDonald 657 1.73 #6 759
Animal Justice Lily Carrington 632 1.66 #5 681
NZ Constitution Roma Tupaea-Warren 310 0.81 #4 347
Independent Jack Gielen 271 0.71 #3 292
Independent Roger Stratford 214 0.56 #2 220
Independent Guy Temoni-Syme 212 0.56 #1 212
Quota 18,722 49.19 #9 18,167 50.00
Informal 210 0.55
Blank 410 1.08
Turnout 38,063
Registered
Independent gain from Independent on 9th iteration

References

  1. ^ a b "51 candidates stand for Hamilton City Council election". hamilton.govt.nz. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Results". hamilton.govt.nz. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Hamilton City Council local election 2025". hamilton.govt.nz. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Local authority elections are being held in October 2025". www.waikatoregion.govt.nz. Waikato Regional Council. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  5. ^ McDonnell, Hayden (8 October 2025). "The battle for Hamilton: A former climate activist takes on a former National MP". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  6. ^ "NOTICE OF DAY OF ELECTION AND POLL FOR THE HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Candidate Information Handbook" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Hamilton City Council. p. 7. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Waiwiri-Smith, Lyric (6 August 2025). "Who wants to be the next mayor of Hamilton?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Our Candidates". animaljustice.org.nz. Animal Justice Party Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  10. ^ Ward, Stephen (17 July 2025). "Maria Huata throws pōtae into mayoral race ring". The Waikato Times. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d Ward, Stephen (28 July 2025). "Talk of cuts amid political thrust as face-to-face city mayoral campaign begins". The Waikato Times. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  12. ^ Ward, Stephen (15 July 2025). "Rachel Karalus launches bid for Hamilton mayoralty". The Waikato Times. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b Ward, Stephen (19 April 2025). "Heavyweight left and right city mayoral contenders step up". The Waikato Times. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Mayor and Councillors". hamilton.govt.nz. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  15. ^ "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF). hamilton.govt.nz. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  16. ^ "Results". hamilton.govt.nz. Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  17. ^ Eley, Tom (16 October 2025). "Hamilton mayor-elect promises focus on city's core services". Waikato Herald. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  18. ^ "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF). Hamilton City Council. 18 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Mayor Iterations" (PDF). Hamilton City Council. October 2025.

Notes

  1. ^ A candidate could leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party.[7]
  2. ^ Rounded to nearest whole number
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